Suspect in teen's death gets trial date

26 witnesses could testify in fatal shooting of Trevor Reynolds

Mar. 25, 2013

William Richard Jones

Written by

Trevor Reynolds

The first-degree murder trial of a Springfield man charged with killing his 14-year-old stepson has been set for Oct. 21.

William Richard Jones, now 65, was charged with the July 5 shooting death of Trevor Reynolds. The Central High student was shot in his chest as he napped in his bedroom on East Livingston Street.

Circuit Court Judge Dan Conklin scheduled the date for Jones’ trial, which will start at 8:30 a.m. in his Greene County courtroom, during a March 21 hearing. Conklin also scheduled a pre-trial hearing for May 23.

The trial is expected to take less than a week.

As part of the hearing, Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson provided a list of 26 potential witnesses, more than half of which work for the Springfield Police Department.

Other officials include emergency medical services or EMS workers from Mercy Hospital, Children’s Division employees, the custodian of records for the Greene County Jail and Greene County Medical Examiner Carl Stacy.

The list also contains those closest to Trevor:

• Falecha Reynolds Jones, Trevor’s mom. The 38-year-old is still legally married to Jones.

On July 5, she told police officers who responded to the shooting that she had nodded off that afternoon and was startled to her feet by a gunshot, took a few steps and saw her husband standing over her son with a gun.

• Mazell Reynolds, Trevor’s grandpa. He and his late wife, Betty Jean, helped raise Trevor. The boy spent most of his childhood in their Columbiana, Ala., home before moving to Springfield.

• A “juvenile witness previously disclosed in police reports” and listed as “D.E.” Earlier News-Leader reports have included interviews with Devon Earnhardt, one of Trevor’s best friends. The teen spent the Fourth of July — and the morning of July 5 — with Trevor.

• Shamieka Jones, a family friend who is no relation to William Richard Jones. She and daughter Daelyn Jones invited Trevor to attend their church, New Hope International Ministries. The teen became an active church member roughly a year before his death.

Patterson noted that he supplied the witness list to Public Defender Bryan Delleville earlier this month.

Citing the “tremendous amount” of local newspaper and TV coverage of the case, Delleville tried unsuccessfully to have the trial moved.

Jones has been in the Greene County Jail, in lieu of a $250,000 bond, since the afternoon of the shooting.